Combined Bachelor s/master s Degree Program Sponsored by the Graduate School and the Honors Program The Honors Program provides students with the opportunity to plan a curriculum leading to both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees in four years. The degrees are subject to the regulations of both the department and the college or school granting the baccalaureate, as well as the Graduate School. It is the student s responsibility to know and fulfill all of the requirements for the combined degrees. Any department within the University may avail itself of the opportunity to award the combined degrees when an undergraduate student demonstrates Master's-level proficiency. Each department adheres to the standards of excellence established by its faculty and approved by its college or school. The role of the Honors Program is to advise potential candidates, direct students to their departmental undergraduate and graduate advisors, coordinate the students' applications to the Graduate School, and provide documentation of their planned programs of study. FIRST YEAR Students interested in the combined degree program should begin researching the opportunity during their first year at UGA in order to plan their academic schedule. Normally, prospective candidates should have earned 15 or more credits through Advanced Placement and/or joint enrollment. They should be Honors students in good standing, have a clear focus regarding their prospective major, and be motivated to undertake significant accelerated academic studies. Students may want to accelerate their course work through course challenges, independent study, or summer term classes. Students may, however, wish to reserve one undergraduate requirement until their last semester in order to retain eligibility for certain undergraduate scholarships. The combined Bachelor's/Master's degree program involves skillfully organizing a four-year plan of study and requires coordination among several academic advisors. A general plan of study for the first two years is developed in consultation with an academic advisor in the Honors Program and an undergraduate advisor in the student s major. The major courses for the Bachelor's and Master's degrees should be planned with advice from both the undergraduate advisor and graduate coordinator for the department(s) in which the student is working. SECOND YEAR Students should continue to complete core and major requirements under the guidance of their Honors advisor and major advisor. Students should complete the Application as well as the Proposed Plan of Study in consultation with their graduate coordinator. Students must obtain the required signatures and submit this form to the Graduate School prior to enrolling in their first graduate-level course. A limit of twelve hours required for the student s undergraduate major may be taken at the graduate level (6000 or higher) and may be counted toward both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees. THIRD YEAR At the beginning of the student s third year at UGA, or after 60 hours of resident credit are completed, the student should complete an application for admission to the Graduate School, take the appropriate admissions entrance tests, and have official scores sent directly to the Graduate School from the appropriate testing agency. The Graduate School recommends a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative undergraduate grade point average for acceptance; for programs that require the GRE as the entrance examination, a score of at least 1200 is recommended by the Graduate School for admission. The student must submit the following to Graduate Admissions: online application, application processing fee, and official transcripts from all institutions attended,
excluding UGA transcripts. Letters of reference are included as part of the online application and will be sent by the recommender to the academic department through a secure online system. At the time of application to the Graduate School, the student should request that the Honors office submit a letter of recommendation to the Graduate School. Students must be formally admitted to the Graduate School and registered for graduate study prior to enrolling in their 13 th hour of graduate credit. After admission to the Graduate School, students must register using their graduate eligibility rather than their undergraduate eligibility and pay graduate tuition. FOURTH YEAR During the Fall semester of the fourth year students should initiate a graduation check with their undergraduate department and school or college. They should be completing the course and thesis (or comprehensive exam) requirements for their department and college or school. Students should check the Graduate School Web site (www.grad.uga.edu) for deadlines pertaining to application for graduation, program of study form submission, and thesis format check for the Master's degree. Students who cannot meet all requirements for the Master's degree within the four-year period or who are enrolled in a designated five-year program will under normal circumstances complete their undergraduate curriculum and finish the Master's degree the following year. When all degree requirements of the department and school or college are fulfilled in the senior year concurrently with those of the Graduate School, the candidate shall earn both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees on the same graduation date. The Application Process Students should first consult an Honors advisor about the program and application forms; this should happen in the first year of study. Once a student has identified a realistic course of study, and a sponsoring major professor, then the application must be routed through not only the department in question but also the Honors Program and the Graduate School (see the attached application). The application process works like this: 1. It is the student s responsibility to obtain the approval and signatures of the major professor, graduate Coordinator, Department Head, Honors Program lead advisor. The Honors Program will then send the completed forms to the graduate school for approval of the Dean. 2. The Graduate School will temporarily house the application forms, and will send a copy of the completed form (with the Dean's signature) and a letter to the Honors program and participating department acknowledging completion of the Bachelor s/ Master s application. 3. The student will then complete the necessary requirements to apply to the Graduate school; this will require the student to request a letter of recommendation from the Honors Program to the Graduate School. 4. Once the student has been accepted to the Graduate School and begins registering as a graduate student, the Honors Program will maintain a copy of the application forms until the student graduates. Graduate coordinators are urged to maintain files on their Bachelor s/ Master s students and keep copies of these forms (your department can request a copy of the forms from the Honors Program if necessary). The University of Georgia Honors Program Telephone: (706) 542-3240; Facsimile: (706) 542-6993 www.uga.edu/honors honors@uga.edu
APPLICATION COMBINED BACHELOR S/MASTER S DEGREE PROGRAM Date Intended Graduation Date: Bachelor s Degree Master s Degree NAME S.S.# (last four digits) LOCAL ADDRESS E-MAIL PHONE Please fill in the term in which you have completed or will complete the following: Finish the undergraduate core curriculum Meet with the departmental Undergraduate Advisor to discuss your proposed plan of study Begin undergraduate major course work Meet with the departmental Graduate Coordinator to discuss Master s requirements and program of study Submit this Application and Proposed Plan of Study to the Honors Program (must be prior to enrolling in your first graduate course) Take the GRE Apply to the Graduate School (submit application, application fee, transcripts, and references) and request a recommendation letter from the Honors Program. Begin registering as a graduate student (must be prior to enrolling in your 13 th hour of graduate coursework) Complete your undergraduate course work Submit a thesis proposal or take comprehensive exams (as required by department) Complete your Master s degree requirements I recommend this student for participation in the Honors Program combined Bachelor s/master s Program and agree to serve as the major professor for the student s graduate work. PROFESSOR S NAME (Please print) Title Signature Date Department GRADUATE COORDINATOR APPROVAL Date DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL Date HONORS PROGRAM APPROVAL Date DEAN OF GRADUATE SCHOOL APPROVAL Date
Date PROPOSED PLAN OF STUDY COMBINED BACHELOR S/MASTER S DEGREE PROGRAM Student s Name S.S.# (last four digits) Undergraduate Department Courses for Bachelor s degree: Courses for Dual Credit (to count toward both Bachelor s and Master s degrees): Graduate Major Graduate Degree Courses for Master s degree: PROFESSOR S NAME (Please print) Title Signature Date Department GRADUATE COORDINATOR S NAME (Please Print) Signature Date Department DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL Date HONORS PROGRAM APPROVAL Date DEAN OF GRADUATE SCHOOL APPROVAL Date
REVISED PLAN OF STUDY BACHELOR S/MASTER S PROGRAM Date Student s Name S.S.# (last four digits) Undergraduate Department Courses for Bachelor s degree: Courses for Dual Credit (to count toward both Bachelor s and Master s degrees): Graduate Major Graduate Degree Courses for Master s degree: PROFESSOR S NAME (Please print) Title Signature Date Department GRADUATE COORDINATOR S NAME (Please Print) Signature Date Department DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL Date HONORS PROGRAM APPROVAL Date DEAN OF GRADUATE SCHOOL APPROVAL Date